Just cut the dang hooks.

[Red Childress]

After fishing with Jim Bortz the past few years, like him, I have started cutting hooks on most of my fish unless the fish is not twisted up in the net, which is a rare occurrence. I used to be the guy who thought that if he could 'untwist' the fish and thread the hooks back through net, it would save time.....wrong again. The only time I attempt that technique now is if the fish manages to be scooped in the bottom of my Stowmaster (and water temps are not too hot) instead of being suspended on the side of the net with the gills above water. (We have all been there before......trying to keep the gills below water without the fish rolling its' body out of the net while working on the hooks.) During cold water fishing, this technique really helps to keep your hands dry instead of fumbling around with a hooked-up fish in 40 degree water/25-degree air temps.

It is more work on my part to cut the hooks, replace trebles, 'T' them off and then sharpen but it is faster if you are prepared......plus less stress on the fish and less danger to your hands.

I just thought I would share this with you guys as I am sure some of you already do this. :)

[Anzomcik]

I am not sure what you mean 'T' the hooks off? I might be having a stupid moment, and not get the short hand. Thanks

[Red Childress]

You might be doing this already but using different terminology......let me give this a shot.

In order to get the hook points to be wider than the bait you are using (when you push the hooks up against the body you will see that sometimes the body is wider than the hooks are), "T-ing" them off (or going 2-3 sizes larger which can cause problems depending on the bait length and hook hanger placement) is the only way to achieve this.

All I do is take a small/medium size pair of channel locks and a short nose pair of pliers and bend 2 of the 3 hooks so the treble looks like a "T". You have to make sure that you are bending the proper hooks so when the bait is moving through the water and being pushed against the belly of the bait, the top of the "T" is against the belly. By doing this, you will wear the paint off your bait much sooner but your net will get an increase in slime as a result.

Most guys will do this with larger trolling baits and thick bodied jerkbaits like Mantas, Perchbaits/Plows/Hookers but this problem can also be happening on smaller walleye/bass baits as well. Each bait is a little different and may come with undersized hooks to help the 'ole profit margin.

Did you understand this jibberish?? :)

[Anzomcik]

Yes i understand that. Would you believe i have never heard of that. I think on the musky hunter forum someone said they take there hooks and turn them so when the bait is going through the water the one point of the hook is being pushed to the belly of the bait, thus having the other two points outward. This is the oposite of how most hooks come from the bait makers. But i like the "t" idea. Thanks

[Anzomcik]

I was lookin at the online catalog for savagear. They have a weird set up online, none the less. In there catalog they have treble hooks you can buy that are allready "t"ed. I just thought that was kinda funny, how once you explained it to me i stumbled on massproduced hooks on what you were talkin about.

Also a friend of mine told me about a new hook that just came out, spin tech makes a treble hook, that has a ballbearing swivle built in the shank. By having this it would reduce the leverage the fish has when it trashes around.

While they look a little light for muskie, it is only a matter of time...

[Red Childress]

I have not researched the type of hook that SavageGear uses but they are the absolute sharpest hooks I have ever seen fresh out of the box. If I sharpen new SGear hooks, I make them "duller"..........that is how sharp they are.

[psv]

Savage use Owner on their lures

[Anzomcik]

Savage they are super sharp, i wish they were stronger. Lost a fish this summer by the hook bending out. The hook i am talking about do not come standard on the baits it was on there web sights catalog way in the back. Just if anyone wanted to look

[Red Childress]

We have not had that happen....YET. I will change those hooks over as well and probably beef up the hook size in the process.